According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four patients with diabetic foot ulcers will eventually require lower-limb amputation. Now science may have found a way of mobilizing stem cells within the body to treat this health issue, which affects more than three million Americans annually.

Recent studies have shown that surgically moving mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are mostly found in bone marrow, onto hard-to-heal wounds accelerates healing. But this process is painful and costly.

According to a press release by Princeton based Derma Sciences Inc. the company has been developing a new drug, DSC127 , which appears to activate the mesenchymal stem cells in a patient’s body and direct them towards the wound.

Currently in a 75-patient Phase II diabetic foot ulcer clinical trial being conducted at some of the nation’s top institutions, the drug is being considered for additional indications including venous leg ulcers, arterial ulcers, pressure ulcers, thermal and chemical wounds, and scar prevention. Pre-clinical animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of the compound in accelerating healing and reducing scar formation.

If DSC127 is approved for market diabetics suffering from foot ulcers may be helped.